Bragan's Redemptive ROOTing for 2021

Hello, all! Glad to be back here for another year of reading and ROOTing! I said at the beginning of last year that my main concern was going to be getting my TBR total down. Well, life did not work out that way, as apparently ridiculous amounts of online book-shopping where the only way for me to survive 2020 with any semblance of sanity intact. But 2021 is a brand new year, and the goal now is to redeem myself by following up lots of book-buying with lots of book-reading!

To that end, I've raised my ROOT goal again. Don't ask me exactly how I picked 85 ROOTs as a goal. It just seemed like about the right number.

Welcome back and good luck in whittling the TBR pile back down to size! I hope 2021 is a better year.

>2 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I certainly hope it's better for all of us. And I am optimistic about whittling down the TBR, although, let's be honest, I feel that way every year. :)

Happy reading and good luck with your goal!

Hi Bragan, so glad to see you are back for another year! Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing.

Good luck with both goals (reading and whittling!). Let's hope 2021 is infinitely less sucky than 2020!

Thanks all! Happy Reading and ROOTing you all of you. And, yes, I am really hoping for a better 20201!

>7 bragan: That's far into the future, Bragan. I'm afraid none of us will live that long. ;-))

>7 bragan: LOL! Wow, what a typo! Well, I hope 20201 is good, too, even if I'm not around to see it. But for now, I will instead concentrate on having a good 2021. :)

Good luck on your whittling!

>10 cyderry: Thanks! I'm already working diligently on it!

And here we go! My first ROOT of the year! Which I've only had for a few months, but one of the great things about the start of a new year is that all those recently purchased books magically turn into ROOTs at the stroke of midnight. (At least, they do the way I count them, anyway.)

I'm also pleased to have started the year with a book I enjoyed this much:

1. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

>12 bragan: That one is on my STBR-list too!

>13 connie53: It's a very strange book, but for me it was strange in just the right ways!

It's our book of the month on my RL book-club, so I've committed to reading it. Now I just have to find the time to do so.

>15 connie53: It's not a very long book, at least, and I found it a nice quick read. So hopefully it won't be too difficult to find the time!

>16 bragan: I have so many books I want to read because of the many new challenges that started on the first of January, I don't know where to start. But I'm sure I will get around to it sometime this year, ;-))

I hope this year we both manage to make a dent in last year's comfort/panic buys. I count ROOTs the same way, so I'm also cheered by the fact that all the books I received for Christmas suddenly count as ROOTs, even if it feels a bit cheat-y!

>17 connie53: I do understand not knowing where to start. I feel that way pretty much all the time.

>18 Rebeki: Cheat-y, maybe, but oh so satisfying!

2. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter.

This wasn't even one that magically turned into a shiny new ROOT at midnight on Jan 1. I've had it sitting on my TBR shelves for more than five years. And boy am I kicking myself now for not having gotten to it sooner!

>20 bragan: That happened a lot to me too.

Welcome back and happy reading!

>22 MissWatson: Thanks, and to you, too!

3. Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It by Adam Savage.

I feel like I'm starting the year off at a really nice clip. We'll see how long I can keep it up...

4. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam.

4 down! Wow, you are moving real fast.

>26 connie53: Yes, I am off to a very good start to the year, reading-wise!

5. The Book of Dzur by Steven Brust.

6. Humans by Brandon Stanton.

7. What the Hell Did I Just Read? by David Wong.

David Wong has some great titles!

>31 rabbitprincess: He really does. And they definitely give you an idea of what you're getting into!

OK, skipping over my first two non-ROOTs of the year (an Early Reviewers book I got this month and one that was borrowed from a friend), we come to:

8. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

9. The Buying of Lot 37: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, Vol. 3 by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

And there we go, we've made it through January! Let's see what things look like for the month...

JANUARY 2021

Books Acquired: 15
Books Acquired YTD: 15
Books Read: 11 (including one borrowed book that doesn't come off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 11
ROOTS Read: 9
ROOTS Read YTD: 9/85
Current TBR Total: 1,106
TBR Total Change YTD: +5

So far, I am not yet living up to my resolution to read more books than I acquire this year, thanks to some books I ordered in December that didn't arrive until January, plus a couple of ER books and one belated Christmas present. Next month will hopefully be better in that respect, though. And at least the ROOTing is going well so far. I'd also say it was a very rewarding month of reading, overall, which, of course, is the most important thing.

Moving on into February:

10. Words on the Move: Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally) by John McWhorter.

11. The Legends of River Song by Jenny T. Colgan, et al.

>36 bragan: I had to smile reading that title.

>38 connie53: It was a fun book, too!

>37 bragan: I thought I'd read this, but apparently not! Will have to hunt it down.

Also, did you hear that Alex Kingston will be writing a River Song story? It's called The Ruby's Curse and will be out on May 20.

12. The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought by Susan Jacoby.

>40 rabbitprincess: You should! I bet you'll enjoy it.

And, no, I hadn't heard that! This is a print story, and not a Big Finish thing?

>42 bragan: Yep, a print book! Although I hope there will be an audiobook version, and that she will read it. That would be perfect.

>43 rabbitprincess: I don't really do audiobooks, but even I think that would be pretty awesome.

13. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald.

14. Network Effect by Martha Wells.

>47 bragan: I read and greatly enjoyed Wells' All Systems Red, hope you enjoyed this one.

>48 Caramellunacy: I've really enjoyed the whole series. I'm only sorry I've run out of it now!

15. Make It Scream, Make It Burn by Leslie Jamison.

>49 bragan: I'm really sorry the Martha Wells books are not translated. My friends in my RL book-group enjoy them so much but I find reading fantasy books in English a challenge.

>51 connie53: Oh, that's way too bad! I hope they are sometime soon.

I hope so too, Bragan. I see how much my friends enjoy them.

And that's it for February, it seems!

February 2021

Books Acquired: 1
Books Acquired YTD: 16
Books Read: 8
Books Read YTD: 19
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 15/85
Current TBR Total: 1,099
TBR Total Change YTD: -2

So, fewer books read in Feb. than in Jan., but maybe we can blame that partly on it being a short month. The good news is, I was a very, very good girl with the book-buying! I refused to open any book catalogs or click on any bookstore webpages, and the only book I acquired this month was an LT early reviewers win. Go, me!

That also means that I've now made up for all the books I acquired in January, and my TBR is now smaller -- if only slightly -- than it was at the end of the year.

Now the question is, can I keep it up?

Woo hoo! Excellent work resisting the temptations of the book catalogues and bookstore websites!

>55 rabbitprincess: It's so haaaaaaaard! I deserve a reward. Like a book!

Wait, no... :)

Onward into March!

16. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.

>54 bragan: Not buying books is a good but difficult thing. I keep my self away from bookish newsletters, but I get hit by BB's here all the time.

>58 connie53: It's true, this is a dangerous place when you're trying to avoid book-buying! I mostly just end up putting lots of books on my wishlist and then trying to convince myself not to look at it too much. :)

17. Reactions: An Illustrated Exploration of Elements, Molecules, and Change in the Universe by Theodore Gray.

>59 bragan: That's what I do too. My wishlist gets bigger by the day.

>61 Jackie_K: Mine is ridiculously big by this point!

18. The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.

19. Geek Ink by the creators of Inkstinct.

20. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe.

>65 bragan: Wow, Bunnicula is 40 years old?! My internal clock is off by at least a decade...

>66 rabbitprincess: It is! Or rather, it was in 2019. Which I'm afraid just makes it worse. :)

21. Supernormal Stimuli by Deirdre Barrett.

22. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua.

>69 bragan: Ooh I really want to read this one!

>70 Jackie_K: It's a lot of fun!

23. The Case of the Imaginary Detective by Karen Joy Fowler.

And that's March done with! So, let's see...

MARCH 2021

Books Acquired: 3
Books Acquired YTD: 19
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 29
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 23/85
Current TBR Total: 1,092
TBR Total Change YTD: -9

Yay, the TBR is still going in the right direction! The only additions I made this month were another ER book and a couple of extremely belated Christmas gifts from a friend. Now, April, I fear, will be a different matter, as I maaaaay have already ordered a few things, but I am optimistic about not losing progress, anyway.

Hi Bragan, just popping in to wish you a Happy Easter!

Ohoh You did some ordering!!

>74 connie53: Only just a teeny little bit of ordering. :)

Thanks and Happy Easter to you, too!

24. Mysteries of the Mall and Other Essays by Witold Rybczynski.

25. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 4: I Kissed a Squirrel and I Liked It by Ryan North and Erica Henderson.

26. Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian.

27. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood.

28. Circe by Madeline Miller.

29. Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Notebooks by James Goss, Jonathan Morris, Julian Richards, Justin Richards, and Matthew Sweet.

>80 bragan: What did you think of this book, bragan? Curious to know that.

>80 bragan: It was really good!

Good to know. Some of my RL book club friends are reading this and I was wondering if I wanted to join them. One step nearer to do that now.

>84 connie53: I don't know if everyone likes it quite as much as I did, but a lot of people seem to, and for what it's worth, I do recommend it!

30. The Arrival by Shaun Tan.

31. Enchanted Pilgrimage by Clifford D. Simak.

And that's another month down...

APRIL 2021

Books Acquired: 7
Books Acquired YTD: 26
Books Read: 9
Books Read YTD: 38
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 31/85
Current TBR Total: 1,090
TBR Total Change YTD: -11

So, that's more books acquired and fewer read this month than I really would have liked, but at least I'm still going in the right direction.

32. The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper.

33. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero.

Hi Bragan. Visiting your thread and do my rounds along the ROOTers threads.
>88 bragan: nice stats and certainly going in the right direction.

>91 connie53: Hello and thanks!

34, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 5: Like I'm the Only Squirrel in the World by Ryan North, Will Murray, Erica Henderson, and Rico Renzi.

35. Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree, Jr.

36. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.

37. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

And the year just keeps on passing...

MAY 2021

Books Acquired: 3
Books Acquired YTD: 29
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed from a friend that doesn't count as coming off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 48
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 37/85
Current TBR Total: 1,084
TBR Total Change YTD: -17

Not too bad, all in all, even if I had hoped to get a bit more reading done this month than I actually did.

>97 bragan: Looks like you're going in the right direction! Well done on the -17 so far this year.

>98 Jackie_K: Yes, I was determined to get it whittled down some, after how much I did the opposite of that last year. So far, not bad!

38. The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, edited by John Joseph Adams.

39. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell.

40. Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale by Marina Warner.

41. There There by Tommy Orange.

42. Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer.

43. Fox 8 by George Saunders.

And that's me passing the halfway point, just on time!

JUNE 2021

Books Acquired: 4
Books Acquired YTD: 33
Books Read: 9
Books Read YTD: 57
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 43/85
Current TBR Total: 1,079
TBR Total Change YTD: -22

Not too bad, so far!

Yay! You're doing very well with the TBR change statistic!

>107 rabbitprincess: Yep, it's going in the right direction, so that makes me happy!

>106 bragan: Echoing rp, good progress with shaving the top off Mt TBR - one stone at a time! I'm at -10, so not as impressive as you, but still the right direction.

>109 Jackie_K: Thanks! Mind you, my Mt. TBR is so huge that I feel a bit like the bird in the fable, wearing away the mountain one grain at a time for some fraction of eternity. :)

But all progress is progress, right? So, go us!

>106 bragan: I love the stats! And you are doing great on reducing the ROOTs.

Got to work on my stats soon too.

>111 connie53: Thanks! I wish you good luck with yours, too.

44. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

45. The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack.

>114 bragan: Thumbs-up for your review of the McCormack book! I agree she did a good job of capturing that TARDIS team's voices.

>115 rabbitprincess: Which is something I always appreciate, whether the plot 100% works for me or not. Not everybody can do that well!

46. The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian.

47. The Magic of Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows.

48. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 edited by Karen Joy Fowler.

49. Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs: The Question of Alien Minds by David McFarland.

And that's another month passed!

JULY 2021

Books Acquired: 6
Books Acquired YTD: 39
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 67
ROOTS Read: 6
ROOTS Read YTD: 49/85
Current TBR Total: 1,076
TBR Total Change YTD: -25

So, more slow but fairly steady progress. I probably would have had fewer books acquired this month, but I had a birthday, and of course, books make excellent birthday presents.

And on into August!

50. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey.

Wow, you are reading lots!

Hurries off to get own stats up to date!

>121 bragan: Thanks! I'm right on track with the ROOTing, too, which is nice.

51. If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura.

>125 bragan: That title got me to investigate further.

>126 connie53: It's definitely an intriguing title, isn't it? The book is interesting, too.

52. Santa Fe Noir edited by Ariel Gore.

53. I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel.

54. The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project by Lenore Appelhans.

>130 bragan: I laughed at that title

>131 Caramellunacy: The title made it kind of hard to resist!

55. Doctor Who: The Official Doctionary by Justin Richards.

56. Iorich by Steven Brust.

57. Who's A Good Boy?: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes, Volume 4 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.

Right, I guess we've pretty much reached the end of August now. Let's see where I stand...

AUGUST 2021

Books Acquired: 2
Books Acquired YTD: 41
Books Read: 12 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 79
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 57/85
Current TBR Total: 1,067
TBR Total Change YTD: -34

Hey, that's not too bad, is it? I mean, y'know, all things considered. I think it puts me right on track with my ROOT goal, too.

>136 bragan: Hey, if you keep going at this rate then 2022 could be the year that the TBR goes down to 3 figures!

>137 Jackie_K: We can dare to dream!

58. Talk on the Wild Side by Lane Greene.

59. Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg.

60. Paranormality by Richard Wiseman (which I apparently forgot to record here when I finished it).

61. Trust Exercise by Susan Choi.

62. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

63. Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist.

64. Rush: The Unofficial Illustrated History by Martin Popoff

65. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

Well, since September is rapidly departing, I guess it's time for the monthly sum-up again.

SEPTEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 4
Books Acquired YTD: 45
Books Read: 10 (including one borrowed book that doesn't count as off the TBR)
Books Read YTD: 89
ROOTS Read: 8
ROOTS Read YTD: 65/85
Current TBR Total: 1,062
TBR Total Change YTD: -39

That looks like a pretty good books read-to-books acquired ratio this month! We'll just pretend that's going to continue, and not think too hard about the books I just ordered online the other day that haven't arrived yet, shall we?

>146 bragan: They haven't arrived, so don't exist. *winks, taps nose* Your secret's safe with us.

>147 Jackie_K: That's true! If I can't see them, they can't see me! Or something like that. :)

66. Inversions by Iain M. Banks.

67. Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller.

Good job, Bragan! Love your stats. And I too would not count unseen books -;))

>151 connie53: Thanks!

Unfortunately, I have now seen the unseen books. And, um, several more as well, thanks to a couple of ill-timed library sales... :)

>152 bragan: O my! Horrible!

This year’s acquisitions are next year’s ROOTs!

>153 connie53: I have such book shame! Clearly the only remedy is to read more. :)

>154 Charon07: And quite possibly for many years to come...

68. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

69. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

>157 bragan: What did you think of that one? I enjoyed it, but didn't find it as life-changing as the glowing reviews had led me to believe I would. Fascinating subject though!

>158 Jackie_K: I agree with you. The subject was fascinating, but the book itself didn't entirely satisfy me, and I suspect it's been a bit over-hyped.

70. Doctor Who: Peacemaker by James Swallow

>159 bragan: I gave it only 3 stars, but it was a revelation to learn that trees have a social life. I look at trees differently now, and I feel sorry for those isolated ornamental urban trees.

>161 Charon07: Yeah, ditto. I think it was worth that extra half-star for me to read all about that, even if it did make me feel a bit sad for those poor things.

71. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones.

72. Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West.

73. Pariah by Bob Fingerman.

74. The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman.

>166 bragan: That was in the collection Trigger Warning, and it was my favorite from the whole collection. But I tend to prefer novels to short stories, so maybe “The Truth Is a Cave…” was long enough to develop ideas and characters, so it suited my taste more.

>167 Charon07: I read it before in that collection, too, but it'd been long enough that I remembered nothing about it other than that it was good. It was still good this time, too, and the illustrations in this volume also gave a little something extra to it. And I think you're right. It does indeed develop almost a novel's worth of stuff in what is still a pretty short space.

OCTOBER 2021

Books Acquired: 18 (um... oops)
Books Acquired YTD: 53
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 99
ROOTS Read: 9
ROOTS Read YTD: 74/85
Current TBR Total: 1,070
TBR Total Change YTD: -31

So, yeah, the TBR definitely went in the wrong direction this month, thanks to some completely unavoidable book-buying accidents. *cough* Still not doing too badly for the year, though!

"Accidents". Uh-huh.

(it could have been worse. It's nothing that'd get you arrested)

I'm glad someone is having book-buying accidents, because I have few opportunities for my own such accidents! Another year without my favourite used-book sale... sigh.

>170 Jackie_K: Yes, fortunately my book-related sins are, at least, not illegal. :)

>171 rabbitprincess: Aww. I will live for you, vicariously! And, really, when you put it that way... How could I not go to the book sale, now that they've finally started them up again after so long without? If nothing else, the library needs me!

75. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson.

76. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd.

77. Treasury of Aesop's Fables

78. Bats by Phil Richardson.

79. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout.

80. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

81. Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark by Cecelia Watson.

Here we are, coming up on the end of the year already. And I haven't nearly read all the books yet... Still, I suppose I haven't been doing too terribly, progress-wise.

NOVEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 2
Books Acquired YTD: 55
Books Read: 10
Books Read YTD: 109
ROOTS Read: 7
ROOTS Read YTD: 81/85
Current TBR Total: 1,062
TBR Total Change YTD: -39

82. The Circle by Dave Eggers.

83. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher.

84. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather.

85. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings.

And with that, I HAVE DONE IT! HOORAY!!!!

With luck, there will be at least one more ROOT before the end of the year, maybe more, but I can at least rest easily knowing that I have met my goal!

Hooray, well done!

>185 Jackie_K: Thank you! *throws confetti*

>184 bragan: Congratulations!

>187 MissWatson: Thank you!

Congratulations! Glad your goal-meeting book was a good one. I liked Brainiac too, having played on the university trivia circuit myself :)

I've never done that, but I did used to enjoy a nice round of pub trivia. :)

>190 bragan: Pub trivia is lots of fun! I love those moments when everyone on the team puts their heads together and gets the group to the right answer.

>156 bragan: That link leads to another book with the same title.

Hello Bragan!

Trying to catch up on threads again. I want to wish you

>192 connie53: Whoops, thanks for pointing out the error there! I've fixed it now.

And wishing all of that back to you, too!

Well, I sure thought I was going to finish at least one more ROOT this year, but the giant tome I am currently in the middle of had other ideas. So, let us see the final totals!

DECEMBER 2021

Books Acquired: 20
Books Acquired YTD: 75
Books Read: 6
Books Read YTD: 115
ROOTS Read: 4
ROOTS Read YTD: 85/85
Current TBR Total: 1,076
TBR Total Change YTD: -25

A rather poor showing to end the year on, I'm afraid. That's the lowest "books read" total I've had in a long time, thanks to a couple of really slooooooow reads, plus some busyness around the holidays. As for the "books acquired," well, some of those were Christmas presents. Others were Christmas presents to myself. Others still were... Well, look, how else do you cope with the stress of the holiday season, if not with book-shopping? :)

Anyway. I did hit my ROOT goal for the year, so, yay! And even if I didn't make quite as much progress through the TBR as I might have hoped, that's still a very decent negative number on the last line there, so I'll take it.

And on that note... I hope everyone has had an excellent year of reading, and I wish you the same for 2022! I'll see you all in the new group for the new year! Once I actually get around to setting up a thread there, that is...

I think we ended on the same negative number for reduction in TBR. Well done us! :)

>194 bragan: Doesn't everyone Christmas shop following the "one for you, one for me" approach? ;)

I too had a lower than usual reading total to end the year thanks to two massive slumps (one in spring and one in fall). Hoping we both have springs in our reading step for 2022!

>195 Jackie_K: Go, us! *high five*

>196 rabbitprincess: Nobody on my list wanted books, so I had to make up for it by buying a bunch for myself. I am certain this makes perfect logical sense and is eminently justifiable. :)

Looking forward to an exciting year of reading in 2022! Just as soon as I finally finish this chunkster. Nearly there......